On the 27th February, 2010 Simone Ridley and I took on the challenge of a lifetime to trek through Cuba for Breast Cancer Care. After months of training and preparation coupled with raising over £6000 for Breast Cancer Care ‘D-Day’ arrived and whilst there were some nerves; they were instantly settled when we met the rest of the group. Everyone had a different story to tell and everyone had their own reasons to trek for such a worthy charity. There were 19 fundraisers and Simone and I were the only 2 from Wales – needless to say we were like extras from Gavin and Stacy to the rest of the group!
After a short tour of Havana by our Cuban Guide, Abel; seeing how the Cubans live with no luxury but with happiness and laughter we all realised how fantastic the country is that we were going to be trekking through – and our first lesson was learned.
When we arrived at the Escambray Mountains after a 5 hour transfer from Havana on roads with potholes the size of craters; we saw the challenge that faced us; mountain ranges, humid climate and jungle for as far as the eye could see. Trekking began on road and with the sun shining down on us through clear blue skies we realised how energy sapping the heat was; but as we instantly bonded as a team – everyone helped each other through the challenge. Our trekking days saw us trekking for 6 – 9 hours a day in differing terrain with the majority of the trek climbing the mountain range or walking through coffee plantations or forestry with 300 different tree types to view. The view was an inspiration too; as when we reached the top of the mountain standing at 1000m all you could see for miles was green, fresh and untouched land. It truly was an amazing journey and whilst it was tough and challenging as a group we all helped each other through.
Simone and I had our own personal reasons for doing this trek and would both like to say how worthwhile Breast Cancer Care are as a charity. Breast Cancer Care is here for anyone affected by breast cancer. They bring people together, provide information and support. Further to this they campaign for improved standards of care. They use their understanding of people’s experience of breast cancer and their clinical expertise in everything they do. As we are sure you agree – a very worthwhile cause. We have both been touched and affected by Breast Cancer in different ways and have felt the heartache of losing someone to Breast Cancer, in light of this we are both very proud to be involved with Breast Cancer Care and would urge and recommend that everyone who has thought about doing a trek or challenge for Breast Cancer Care does – it will change your life and will be the trip of a lifetime.
We would both like to thank Natalie Wing from Breast Cancer Care for being our guide and looking after each and every one of us. Kenny Allen from Discover Adventure for his words of wisdom and ‘kick’ in the right direction when things were hard. All the other trekkers for the memories and the help throughout. And most of all we would like to thank all the people who sponsored us to make this challenge possible.
